Councils’ powers to remove Grenfell-style cladding ‘useless’

New powers for councils to step in and remove dangerous cladding from privately-owned towers have been criticised for being “largely useless”, leaving tens of thousands of leaseholders feeling unsafe and facing huge bills. Last November, Housing Secretary James Brokenshire announced... View Article

Grenfell residents’ rights were breached

The human rights of Grenfell Tower’s residents were breached by both their local council and the Government, according to the country’s equalities watchdog. The use of combustible cladding on the tower and allocating flats high in the building to elderly... View Article

The future is permeable

New legal requirements for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) on developments across Wales apply from January, heralding wider use of concrete block permeable paving. Meanwhile, the trade association Interpave has published the new Edition 7 of its definitive guidance to this... View Article

AET Flexible Space goes down under

Leading provider of underfloor air conditioning systems, AET Flexible Space, has won their first order from Australia, for the supply of their leading underfloor air conditioning equipment for the new build development of the Warilla Library located in the Wollongong... View Article

Grass Concrete hits the roof

Hitting the roof was the obvious next step for Grass Concrete Ltd, a company with proven credentials for environmental construction products. The new Grassroof® is an overlay paving system that can be applied to new or existing flat roof structures.... View Article

Electrifying new ESSE has double the hob capacity

Innovative new 990 ELX provides extra space and versatility for creative cooks to express themselves ESSE’s exciting new 990 ELX electric cooker offers double the hob space to allow creative cooks to take their cooking to the next dimension. Combining... View Article

W Zone at King’s Cross given final go ahead

Kings Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP) was today (30 April 2019) given the final go ahead by Islington Council on the W Zone. The W Zone, located off York Way and Randell’s Road will comprise three mixed use buildings, known... View Article

The NFB unveils its Major Contractors Group

The board of the National Federation of Builders (NFB) is pleased to announce the formation of the NFB Major Contractors Group (NFB MCG). Mark Wakeford, joint managing director of Stepnell Limited and chair of the NFB MCG, said: “We are... View Article

Colourful connections

The HU University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands has gained a porous and interconnected new building from schmidt/hammer/lassen, as part of a project to ‘densify’ the school’s assets. Jack Wooler spoke to architect Pim Ijsendoorn about how the design... View Article

Downsizing but not out

Grabbing views over Hackney’s London Fields, PRP’s new alternative offering to the early retirement market offers space to Londoners looking to downsize in style, on a tight site. Sébastien Reed speaks to the project architect Stephen Hynds Now more commonly... View Article

Marley Alutec makes the grade at Urmston Grammar

Marley Alutec’s Evoke Type B fascia system and Evolve Ogee gutter system were specified for a roof, eaves and guttering refurbishment at Urmston Grammar School in Manchester. Selected for its 50-year life expectancy and low maintenance, the Marley Alutec aluminium... View Article